to go until the elections, we're taking an in-depth look this morning at the effect latinos could have on election dame you know that saying there's power in numbers? well, latinos have exactly that. according to the latest census, there are more than 50 million latinos in the u.s., and of those, more than 12.2 million are expected to show up at the polls on election day. that is just over half of latinos who are eligible to vote. joining me now, as they do every week at this time, cnn contributor maria cardona and amy holmes, anchor of "the real ne" on the blaze. good morning to both of you. maria, how critical is the latino vote in swing states like florida, for example? >> it's very critical, randi, and especially in this close election. we saw already the latino vote being decisive. in 2008, president obama would not have been able to turn florida, new mexico, colorado, nevada, would not have been able to turn those blue and win the election had it not been for the latino vote. in 2010, latinos basically saved democrats from losing the senate, and harry reid says this all the time.